INSOLENCE OF NATIVES 



sake it was necessary to keep Tombacca as friendly as 

 possible. That gentleman, however, was inclined to be 

 insolent ; he declared we were to shoot nothing in his 

 country, and that, if we did not pay him .S300 a load 

 of rice, half a load of tobacco, and so many pieces of 

 cloth, he would not let us proceed. [ama, our headman, 

 hatl a merry time describing to the wily Tombacca the 

 might of England, how Menelik was our friend, what 

 great men we were, and the awful consequences that 

 would befall him, if he gave us trouble. While this 

 palaver was going on, 1 noticed that more and more of 

 his armed Oderali followers had come into our camp, 

 and were strolling about, asking for various articles, 

 including soap. When this praiseworthy, though sur- 

 prising request had been complied with, they next 

 demanded that our men should wash their dirty clothes. 

 Now this was a downright insult to a Somali, who 

 considers it a degradation to do such women's work. 

 As things were beginning to look rather serious, I 

 quietly collected our men in little groups at different 

 points of the camp, and then told Tombacca that, with 

 the exception of his immediate followers, his men must 

 be kept outside our zariba. A hint that a big feed of 

 rice was being prepared, and that, if so many remained, 

 there would not be enough to go round, helped matters 

 considerably, and the chief himself turned out some of 

 the most recalcitrant individuals. After a tremendous 

 banquet of rice, with plenty of melted ghee over it, and 

 very sweet coffee to drink, he became more friendly : 

 for with savages, as with children, the short cut to the 

 heart is through the stomach. Handfuls of tobacco-dust 



